Dancers ‘Possessed’ by Spirits During Performance for Indonesian Vice President

Mataram. A student exhibition of traditional Indonesian dances in Mataram took a ghastly turn on Saturday as some dancers fainted and others screamed and yelled, claiming they were possessed by spirits.

Vice President Boediono, his wife Herawati Boediono and several cabinet members were in Mataram to watch more than 500 high school students perform traditional Papuan, Dayak, Minangkabau and Sumbawa dances in a national commemoration of the 2012 Family Day.

The students were dancing under the sun in the middle of a field at Mataram’s old Selaparang Airport.

But after their performance, some students fainted. Others began to yell and scream, which local residents saw as a sign that they were all possessed by spirits.

The teachers panicked and the students were taken to the hospital where some were treated for possession.

“They’re just tired because they had to wait for too long [in the sun]. Some of them were possessed. We’ve referred them to hospital,” West Nusa Tenggara Health Agency head Ismail said.